The backing of the researchers could boost the price of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, which many have suggested is less well suited to handling mass payments than the traditional financial system, run by the likes of Visa and MasterCard.

"The world of cryptocurrency is evolving as rapidly as the considerable collection of confusing terminology that accompanies it," said Imperial professor William Knottenbelt.

"There's a lot of scepticism over cryptocurrencies and how they could ever become a day-today payment system used by the man on the street. In this research we show that cryptocurrencies have already made significant headway towards fulfilling the criteria for becoming a widely accepted method of payment."

The paper, paid for by brokerage eToro, found cryptocurrencies are already equipped to fulfill one of the three fundamental roles of traditional fiat money: acting as a store of value.

The three criteria for mass adoption the researchers laid out are:

Store of value:allowing individuals to make intemporal choices on when to spend their purchasing power

Medium of exchange:facilitating the exchange of goods and services by eliminating the inefficiencies associated with a barter economy

Unit of account:acting as a measure of value in the economic system.

According to the paper, "meeting the last two criteria will require bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to make progress on remaining challenges such as scalability, design and regulation."

"The first email was sent in 1971, but it took nearly three decades for the technology to become commonplace with a user-friendly interface in the form of hotmail," said eToro's UK managing director Iqbal Gandham.

"The first ever bitcoin transaction took place a little over eight years ago and today we are already seeing it begin to meet the requirements of everyday money. Given the speed of adoption, we believe that we could see Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on the high street within the decade. There are of course barriers to mainstream adoption, but they are far from insurmountable."

Imperial's Zeynep Gurguc, who co-authored the report, said: "New payment systems (or asset classes) do not emerge overnight but it is worth noting that the concept of money has evolved - even in our lifetime - from cash to digital or contactless payments."

The bitcoin price has — along with most other cryptocurrencies struggled to find footing in recent months after an eye-watering 50 percent sell-off at the beginning of the year.

However, in recent weeks the bitcoin price has jumped multiple times — giving some holders hope of a return to the bull market.

Bitcoin has jumped several times over the last week, but is struggling to hold on to gains.CoinDesk

I am a journalist with significant experience covering technology, finance, economics, and business around the world. As the founding editor of Verdict.co.uk I reported on how technology is changing business, political trends, and the latest culture and lifestyle. I have cov...